After the Storm
by Shion A. Lee
Summary: Oneshot - KanaxLillian - Lillian has been living her new life for over a year, but sometimes she still feels alone. Everything escalates when an unexpected storm hits. Done in two parts.
1. Chapter 1

Lillian fumbled around with the knob on the old beat up radio sitting on her dresser. She had kept in on the same station since she got it a year ago, but the other day the summer heat had made her a little lazy and she started to look for new stations. There weren't any, so she had just laid there listening to the consistent static filling the silence and watching dust drifted lazily through beams of sunlight. But now, when she needed the weather station, she of course couldn't find it, and she looked with concern at the faint but growing clouds that were emerging in the western sky. Last season she had made her move over to Konohana. After a year in Bluebell it felt strange to move again, but a change of scenery was refreshing and the crisp smell that hung over the crops each morning made her feel it was all worth it. Konohana also had Kana. When she first moved to town her shyness was at its worst and the amount of people between the two villages had overwhelmed her, but she took the mayor's advice and made a habit of at least greeting people each day and a year later her fear of strangers had bloomed into tiny friendships. She was still new compared to most in the town though, and couldn't shake the feeling she was still a bit of an outsider. However with Kana it was different, his open personality, good nature, and dependability had attracted her from the start. She made it a point not only to greet him but attempt to chat a bit each day and even bring him the things she had discovered he liked from time to time. It was one-sided, she new that from the start. He was focused, driven, and she knew her small personality would never so much as make an echo in his large existence. Having done her chores for the day Lillian now sat idle in front of steps of the house. It was hot and humidity hung palpable in the air around her, slowly thickening as the sky darkened. Her thoughts drifted from her present life to her past one, the family and friends she had left. It was her choice to leave, after all, but sometimes she couldn't help but dwell on how much she missed the cocoon she had lived in back home, the warm feeling of safety that can only be found in the familiar. The family you loved, the friends you had since childhood. Here she had none of that. This thought hung around her as faint rumbling began in the distance and slowly, one by one, raindrops began speckling the ground. Lillian quickly got to her feet and pushed the few animals she had brought from Bluebell back into the safety of the barn. She hesitated for a moment. The rain was coming down hard now and long gusts of wind whipped it sideways, ripping leaves, branches. Suddenly thunder and lighting were crashing like symbols in her ears and everything was so loud and she knew that more than rain was on the agenda for today. She made a run for her house blindly groping around for the door knob as wind and rain whipped her face and hair. She finally found it and slammed the door behind her. She sunk down, her breath heavy, listening to the sound of her pulsing heart. She would be fine, she had almost convinced herself when more crashes rent the air and, worst of all, in a sudden flash of lightening, her power turned off. The house was cold and dark, and her clothes had gotten soaked through on her run to the house. She felt small. Cold. Alone. The largeness of the house was suddenly encroaching her, pushing itself in on her until it felt hard to even breath. Then thoughts left her and she found herself moving, pushing open the door, running out into the gusts and torrents roaring around in the outside world. She had to be stupid, she thought, to do something like this. But it was too late now, her feet were carrying her down the road, past her barn and fields. The whole world seemed gray, a huge chasm filled with the tearing water and wind that continued to mercilessly pour from the sky. Amidst all this her eyes fell upon a faint orange glow in the distance, the lanterns of Kana's house glimmering weakly like beacons in the storm. Wearily she trudged to the front door and was about to knock, but she hesitated. What was she doing? Who would open their door to someone in the middle of a typhoon? Suddenly she felt big hot tears begin to form in her eyes, large and unstoppable. They flowed down her cheeks and nose into the cracks of her lips, salty and bitter as they mingled with the rainwater. She buried her head in her hands, this was so stupid, she thought. She could feel the wind still whipping, the rain still pouring, and it was like her emotions were caught up with them. Tossing. Tossing...


	2. Chapter 2

Lillian looked down, letting the aromatic steam from the cup she was holding waft up into her face. Reflected in the golden-pink surface she could see her face, her eyes seemed small and a little swollen, the ripples in the wine kept her face constantly distorted, always wavering. She never much cared for wine but the warmed apricot wine was calming and she could feel that warmth spreading down her throat and through her body. She still wasn't completely certain on what had happened in the last fifteen minutes but now she found herself wrapped up in a large red blanked, sitting on the floor in the front room of Kana's Animals. His power was gone too, but he had a small fire roaring strongly in the fireplace that threw warmth and strange patterns all over the house. On her lap was the head of an enormous dog, its jaws flapping in and out as it took heavy, warm breaths. She breathed out, watching the vapors from her wine spread out and dissipate.

"Okayyy, I've got some hot tea and some Chinese dumplings, I was gonna make more but I was supposed to go shopping for food today and that... didn't happen. This storm caught us all kinda by surprise, it wasn't even on the forecast yesterday." Kana appeared in the doorway of his room, taking a sideways glance at the window where the wind and rain were still rushing, "Oh and, here. You can't stay in those wet clothes, you'll totally get a cold." He handed her a large white shirt and navy blue pants.

"Thanks." Lillian's voice sounded small in her own head, she ran her fingers over the crisp dry material, even with the blanket her clothes were keeping her cold.

"... They're the smallest I have. Sorry."

"Oh no, this is perfect."

She ducked into Kana's room, the light was very dim and the whole space smelled vaguely of old wines and horse treats. Just like Kana. She peeled her wet clothes off, the ones Ina, the mayor, had given her when she first moved to Konohana, and replaced them with the ones Kana had given her. The shirt was, as expected, far too big, the neck scooping below her collarbone, and the bottom of it hitting right above her knees. The pants had an elastic band that rested comfortably on her hips, but ran far beyond her feet so she cuffed them to just above her ankles. Not her most flattering appearance, but the clothes were cozy and smelled like the outdoors from drying on a clothesline. She ran her fingers through her damp hair, vainly trying to sort out some of the tangles that she felt spooling over her hands. She vaguely wondered if Kana expected an explanation of what brought her here, or if she had told him anything when she was crying. Then she took a deep breath and stepped back into the main room. Kana was sitting Indian style in front of the fire, a deep look in his eyes as the flames flickered. The dog had changed its position, its belly was upward flopped over Kana's foot, and its large pink tongue spilled lazily from its mouth. He sat stroking its long fluffy belly-hair thoughtfully. Lillian wished for a moment he would look that way at her, so intently. She placed herself down next to him grabbing a dumpling and taking small bites, letting the warm tastes seep into her mouth. Her eyes caught on something vaguely lit in the firelight. It was a horse, wooden and old but beautifully carved. She had saw it before but the obscure lighting made it look different somehow. She looked back toward Kana and saw immediately that he had caught her staring at it.

"It sure is something, right?" He asked kindly.

"Yes. It really is." She replied quietly. When she first met Kana all he talked about was horses. But over time he began to talk about more. His family. His dreams. And though her knowledge of him was still small and always increasing, she felt she knew him better than she knew anyone else in the two towns. She heard Kana laugh lightly.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling a small smile spread across her face, she always loved it when Kana laughed.

"I was just thinking..." He started, popping the last bite of a dumpling into his mouth, "About the first time I saw you staring at that horse." He grinned at her.

Lillian felt her eyes widen, "Kana, no. Don't even-"

"Oh no Lillian, it was too funny." He said waving his hand nonchalantly.

"It was _not_ funny, it was horrible." Lillian countered.

"I told you I was worried about my dad and you stayed _quiet_."

Lillian buried her face in her hands, "I know, it was the worst. I just had no idea what to say, I always say the wrong thing." She said the last part in nearly a whisper, "I thought you were so mad you would never talk to me again." She looked sideways, even if she managed to say it she couldn't look at him at the same time.

"That's not true, Lillian." Kana said softly, she glanced back toward him and saw a kind smile spread across his face. "Something like that wouldn't make me hate you, sure you had me worried, but I know you better than that. Like how you were so gentle with Hayate and always try to say "Hi" to everyone."

Lillian pressed her face down into her knees, the soft smell of Kana's pants traveling up into her senses. So he had noticed those things about her, she felt a little surprised, and very pleased.

"You had me worried today too, you know." He looked directly at her and she knew what was coming, "Showing up at my house in the middle of the biggest typhoon of the summer soaked and crying your eyes out, not exactly something I ever thought I'd see you do. I don't want you to feel like you need to explain yourself to me, but as a friend, I'm kinda concerned..."

"I..." Lillian began, but how could she explain what she didn't know herself? Her reason for acting that way was just as mysterious to her as it was to him. "I don't really know." She finally got out.

"Oh... OK, its fine you don't have to say." Kana said slowly, fiddling with the blue bow around his dog's neck as it let out a huge yawn.

"I-its not like I don't want to tell you!" Lillian blurted out suddenly, "I was in the barn when the storm started and then I was in my house and everything was so loud and I was scared and felt so alone so I ran here and then before I know it I'm sitting here being drooled on by your dog! That's... that's what happened... Sorry..."

"You felt alone?" Kana asked, gazing out into the fire. "Huh, you know so many people, that seems kinda unlike you."

"Unlike me?"

"I guess I just see you as the perfect individual sometimes. You know? Strong. No insecurities. And, whether you think so or not, always saying the right things to everyone. The way you work so hard just kind of cemented that opinion."

"Really?" This was hard for Lillian to believe, never once had she felt strong since she moved here, maybe even never in her life. Why did he see her like that?

Kana looked like he was about to say something more, but turned his attention again to the window.

Maybe it was the Chinese dumplings, or the warm tea that Kana seemed to have endless amounts of, but Lillian slowly felt herself loosening up. As the typhoon raged on outside she found her self cozy and inside, talking about her family, the town she grew up in, how much she missed everyone but still loved her life here. She couldn't remember the last time she had said so much to someone. Maybe she never even had. And Kana sat there, listening with his warm brown eyes fixed on her, occasionally sharing a thought of his. Until finally the conversation winded down and Kana looked out the window, "The typhoon stopped."

It had. Lillian hadn't even noticed, but it had stopped and now golden evening light was pouring through the window and small droplets sparkled as they made their way down.

"I should get back, my animals are probably scared." She said softly, even though she could have stayed forever.

"Yeah." Kana agreed, "The storm's over, its time for life to go on."

"Right..." Lillian agreed, standing up, grabbing her still-damp clothes, and making her way over to the door, "Listen Kana, I really appreciate what you did for me today, I'll pay you back someday. I promise."

"You don't have to worry about that." He said softly, opening the door for her.

As the door opened and they both stepped out golden light poured out over everything. The wet trees and grass gleamed and glittered in the red sunset and cicadas hummed slowly and softly in the backgrounds. The sparkling world seemed so wonderful, so perfect to Lillian, that she felt herself take a long deep breath, trying to hold the moment in. But Kana took the moment and returned it to her tenfold, leaning down and softly, quickly, too quickly maybe, kissing her. Right there on his porch in the middle of a world that had just been made anew.

"See you tomorrow." He said softly.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

_The storm's over. Its time for life to go on._


End file.
